


Big Paws, Small Hands

by JinDoriiiii



Category: LOONA (Korea Band)
Genre: F/F, Jo Haseul (mentioned) - Freeform, Single Parents, babies plus dogs yall, baby yerim, jangmi the labradoodle
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-04-21
Updated: 2020-07-01
Packaged: 2021-03-01 18:07:01
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,433
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23771299
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/JinDoriiiii/pseuds/JinDoriiiii
Summary: Who knew that Yerim running off that one fine day would lead to her mother finding love?
Relationships: Jung Jinsol | Jinsoul/Kim Jungeun | Kim Lip
Comments: 7
Kudos: 161





	1. Chapter 1

Jinsol bent to pick up discarded toys from the sandbox- shaking excess sand out of the nooks and crannies before putting them in her tote. Work was tiring as per usual, Jinsol was ready to pass out but every afternoon was kept free for her to spend time with her daughter.

Straightening up, Jinsol turned toward the swings, ready to ask her daughter if she was ready to go home and get some dinner. But before she could even say anything, she realized that Yerim wasn't on the swings. She wasn't anywhere in the playground; not on the seesaw, or the jungle gym, or the slide.

Jinsol's heart dropped. Logically, she knew that she was probably here somewhere. It wasn't that big of a park, and they were in a safe area. But a mother not being able to see their three-year-old daughter would have anyone panicking.

"Yerimie!" Jinsol called, she could feel her heart pounding in her throat. She spun in a circle, looking for Yerim's brown hair and purple sweater.

Thankfully she saw a flash of purple through the bushes, and she heard a giggle she knew well.

Walking briskly towards the sound, Jinsol found Yerim standing in front of a big, fluffy labradoodle, her little hand patting the dog's head. She giggled as the dog tilted its head up to lick her arm- trying to sniff her hand as Yerim continued to try to pet it.

It was a very heartwarming scene, but Jinsol was too relieved to appreciate the sight before her since she was more focused on her relief and the fact that she found her baby and that her baby was safe and sound.

"Yerimie," she called again, and this time Yerim's head turned- big brown eyes filled with happiness.

"Mommy, look at the big doggy!" she said, shrieking happily when the dog licked up the side of her face.

"Yerim, you can't just run away from me like that," Jinsol scolded.

"M'sorry," she apologized.

Jinsol sighed. "It's okay, just wait for me next time," walking closer, she crouches down to her daughter's level and runs her fingers through Yerim’s now messy pigtails.

Yerim nodded seriously, though Jinsol was fairly certain Yerim would be just as likely to wander away again if she saw a dog.

"I'm so sorry about this," Jinsol said, looking up the dog's owner.

The woman appeared to be a little younger and shorter than Jinsol with soft-looking brown hair pulled up in a messy ponytail.

"No problem," she assured Jinsol with a smile. "Sorry you were worried. I was just about to ask this little lady where her parents were."

"It's okay," Jinsol said, standing up and turning to watch Yerim hold out her hand for the dog to lick. Her bright smile had Jinsol grinning despite her worry from earlier. She couldn't help but enjoy watching Yerim so happy. She hasn't really seen Yerim this happy since her ex-husband left them, sure her daughter smiles a lot but it wasn't as bright as before.

"She really loves dogs. Well. I guess that’s pretty obvious.”

“Jangmi and I come to the park every day around this same time, so come find us if...Yerim, right?”

Jinsol nodded.

“If Yerim wants to play with the dog again,” she finished, shooting a grin at Jinsol.

Jinsol was going to have to talk to Yerim when they got home about not talking to strangers, but at least it appeared that this was a friendly one.

“Thank you,” Jinsol said to the woman, returning her smile. “And thank you for being so understanding.”

The woman waved her off with a laugh. “I don’t mind, plus Jangmi loves attention.”

Sure enough, the dog was enthusiastically sniffing Yerim’s ear as the little girl giggled.

“I’m Jungeun, by the way. Kim Jungeun,” the woman added when Jinsol looked back to her.

“Jung Jinsol,” Jinsol replied, shaking the woman’s, Jungeun’s, hand, and lightly chuckling at their current predicament. “Well, we should probably get going. It’s almost time for dinner.”

“No problem. I don’t want to keep you,” Jungeun told her, smile not dimming in the slightest.

“Okay, Yerim. Time to go home for dinner,” Jinsol said, leaning over to take Yerim’s hand.

Yerim’s pout was immediate. “But I wanna stay and play with the doggy.”

“We can visit him another time, okay?”

Yerim sighed, dejected, but nodded.

“Say goodbye to Jangmi and Miss Kim,” Jinsol instructed, and Yerim gave Jangmi one last pat on the head before waving sadly at Jungeun.

Jinsol smiled, apologizing to Jungeun once more before leading Yerim back in the direction of the apartment- telling her daughter about the fruit popsicles she’d picked up at the store for after dinner to cheer her up. But Yerim only perked up at the promised that they could return to the park the following day to find Jangmi again.

For Yerim’s sake, Jinsol hoped that Jungeun was telling the truth when she said that they were at the park every day. Because if not, she was going to have to comfort her heartbroken baby.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> just a lil something to cleanse the lipsoul tag bc that ghost fic BROKE me

The following afternoon came. Jinsoul almost lost Yerim again, who was so happy that she had an extra skip in her step, as soon as they neared the spot where they were the day before. A familiar figure a few feet away from them is struggling to hold on to a large fluffy dog’s leash.  _ Cute,  _ Jinsol thinks to herself.

“Mommy! I can see my new friend!!” Yerim exclaimed, letting go of Jinsol’s hand and taking two steps before turning back around to face her mother. “Can I please go?”

Jinsol smiled at Yerim, glad that her daughter remembered the warning from before.

“You can go, but be careful. Don’t run okay?”

Yerim nodded and walked over to where Jungeun and Jangmi were. The dog was straining at the leash before Yerim reached them- apparently having caught her scent and remembering that she was the perfect height for face-licking.

“Hi, again!” Jungeun exclaimed, turning around to see Jinsol walking toward her as Yerim and Jangmi enthusiastically greeted each other.

“I kinda thought that you were just being nice when you told us to find you again,” Jinsol said with a laugh.

“Don't worry Jangmi needs his daily walks or he gets cranky at home,” Jungeun assured her. “I even brought Jangmi’s extra-long leash today in case you guys showed up so Yerim can play with Jangmi and maybe play fetch with his favorite tennis ball or some sticks.”

“Hmmm. I think sticks, cebause the ball might fly too far away,” Yerim said, looking up at Jungeun with excitement shining in her big, brown eyes.

“You're a very smart girl, Yerim,” Jungeun grinned. “Just let me swap his leash. Then you guys can play around the park.”

Yerim nodded before bounding off, stopping near the trees to look for a stick to throw.

“It was really nice of you to think of Yerim,” Jinsol said, coming up to stand next to Jungeun as she held onto Jangmi’s collar, unclipping the leash and replacing it with the longer one she wrapped around her wrist.

“It's okay. I was the same way when I was a kid,” Jungeun confessed, motioning for Jinsol to follow her to a park bench and sit down beside her. “Growing up we had a dog, Janggun, but he was too fat and too lazy to play so I used to walk around the neighborhood with my best friend Jiwoo. We went to houses that we knew had dogs, and we pet them through the fences.” she laughed.

“That's so cute. The apartment building we live in doesn’t really allow any pets,” Jinsol explained, feeling the need to defend her reasoning for not having a dog- it wasn’t her fault their landlord was a dick. "We have a secret pet fish though. Guppy is the goldfish Yerim smuggled into the building. Our babysitter said that Yerim brought a jar out of her backpack as soon as they got home from daycare. Turns out Yerim's best friend, Yeojin, promised to give her a pet fish so she smuggled one out of the pet store they own."

Jungeun giggled at that. “That's so adorable!"

"I'm sure Guppy is cute but it’s still not the same as owning a dog, but I really meant it when I say she can play with Jangmi any time.” Jungeun continued.

Jangmi was currently sniffling at Yerim’s ear as she squatted on the ground, looking back and forth between two sticks.

“I appreciate it,” Jinsol told her honestly, warmed by this woman’s kindness toward her daughter. “Yerim does too.”

“I can see that,” Jungeun chuckled, watching as Yerim finally chose a stick and stood up- motioning as she spoke to Jangmi about something.

“Can I throw it?” Yerim called, looking over at Jungeun for confirmation.

“Just not too far. He’s still on a leash,” Jungeun answered, and Yerim nodded before flinging the stick into the air- watching Jangmi excitedly go after it even though it only went a couple of feet.

“Will he run away if you let him off the leash?” Jinsol wondered, observing the way the red nylon dragged over the grass when Jangmi dashed to fetch the stick again.

“Yeah, any dog would, labradoodles are very smart and have a lot of energy” Jungeun explained, readjusting the leash around her wrist. “So if he doesn’t have his leash on, he could run for miles.”

“Oh wow,” Jinsol marveled, eyes on Yerim as she wiped Jangmi’s spit from the stick off on her pants. “We had a dog growing up, I think she was a dalmatian and great dane mix, she was fast but not like that.”

“When I was seven, my dad brought home a german shepherd, and even though they aren’t as likely to run away, you still have to be careful. But my dad just didn’t get it, and he’d somehow manage to let her get out all the time. Thank God, we always got her back, but I just remember always panicking. I guess I’m probably extra paranoid now, especially since Jangmi really could end up in the next city over before he even stopped to rest.”

Jinsol nodded. “It’s smart to be aware like that. I’m glad Yerim can’t run that far when she gets out of sight,” Jungeun let out a loud enough laugh that both Jangmi and Yerim turned to look in their direction before going back to playing tug of war with a stick. Moments pass before  Jangmi finally let Yerim have the stick, backing up and clearly waiting for Yerim to throw it again.

“So, what do you do?” Jinsol asked after watching Yerim wind up only for the stick to go three feet in front of her- Jangmi dashing after it as if she threw it straight across the park.

“I'm a photographer,” Jungeun told her, and Jinsol had to admit that she was impressed. She took a photography class back in college, so she knew a little bit about it.

“Wow, so do you get to travel a lot?” she asked.

“No, actually,” Jungeun told her with a chuckle. “I mean I get to travel for weddings and events but it’s all within the city. I really wish that I could leave the country and take beautiful pictures of nature and stuff.”

Jinsol nodded, picturing the beautiful imagery that Jungeun mentioned.

“What do you do?” Jungeun asked in turn.

“I’m a doctor,” she said, feeling kind of lame in comparison. She’d bet that Jungeun made quite a bit more than she did.

“Oh! Cool!” Jungeun enthused, and a glance at her seemed to confirm that she actually was impressed. For some reason. “Your job probably isn’t like all those TV dramas, but that’s how I’m imagining it.”

Jinsol laughed. “Not really. There aren’t any attractive people kissing in elevators or bombs in butts.”

“You must know a lot about bombs in butts,” Jungeun marveled before breaking into a fit of laughter. “Clearly, I don’t.”

“I guess I know a fair amount about butts,” Jinsol agreed, laughing.

“Is your husband a doctor too?” Jungeun wondered, and Jinsol tried not to grimace at the question. She was okay with being a single mom, but it always got awkward when people asked about her ex-husband.

“I’m not married anymore,” Jinsol told her, voice light. “It’s just me and Yerim now.”

“Oh! I'm so sorry!” Jungeun’s brows were creased. “I shouldn’t have assumed.”

“It’s okay,” Jinsol waved her off. “I'm used to it.”

Jungeun didn’t appear placated. “But that doesn’t mean you should be.”

Jinsol shrugged, unsure of what to say.

“Honestly, it's fine,” she settled on. “It’s been Yerim and me for the past year, and we’re doing just fine. As long as we’re doing okay and Yerim is healthy, it doesn’t really matter what people assume.”

Jungeun nodded, but her brows were still furrowed in concern.

“If you ever need me to babysit or something…?” Jungeun offered, not sure if she was making things worse or not. “Not because I think you need any help! I’m sure you have everything under control. You certainly seem like you do! But just in case you ever want to go out or something.” Jungeun chuckled awkwardly. “Sorry, we only just met, so you probably don’t want to leave your kid with me. Which is cool! I’m just offering because I love kids, and... uhhm... just because.” (AN// LOOK AT THIS GAY MF)

Jinsol had gotten well-meaning offers to help her out that made her feel like they felt bad for her and Yerim, but for some reason, she didn’t feel that way when Jungeun asked.

“I’ll keep that in mind,” Jinsol promised, shooting Jungeun a smile that had her relaxing. “Thanks.”

Truthfully, Jinsol probably wouldn’t take her up on it only because usually the only time she needed someone to watch Yerim was when she was working, which would also be when Jungeun was working. Maybe if she was going on dates or something...but Jinsol had only been on one date since Yerim’s dad had left, and it had been a disaster. She had no intention of doing that again for quite some time. But still. It was nice that Jungeun had offered, despite barely knowing her.

They ended up discussing a TV show that they both were hooked on until Yerim was crawling tiredly into Jinsol’s lap, and Jangmi was panting at Jungeun’s feet.

With the promise to meet up again next time, Jinsol carried a sleepy but happy Yerim home.


End file.
